Medical Education and Workforce

Texas has a large, growing population that is growing sicker and needs more and better-coordinated health care services. Unfortunately, Texas — even more than most of the rest of the country — needs more physicians and other health care professionals. Although our 2003 liability reforms have brought an influx of new physicians, the current supply won’t be able to keep up with the demand, especially with expanded insurance coverage from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). We need more physicians and other health care professionals working in all parts of the state, especially in rural and border Texas. We need to invest more in our medical schools and graduate medical education (GME) training programs. We should not fool ourselves into thinking that allied health professionals — who haven’t gone to medical school — can fill the gap as independent practitioners. Instead, we need to work on building physician-led health care teams that can safely meet the diverse needs of the Texas population. Read more.

Bright Ideas: Revamping Medical Education

Schools implemented incremental changes over the past decade or so as reports from organizations like the Institute of Medicine, the Carnegie Foundation, and AAMC called for medical education reforms. But the recent and more rapid changes in health care delivery demand a wholesale shift, says Vice Speaker of the AMA House of Delegates and former TMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, of Fort Worth. That's the idea behind the AMA's Accelerating Change in Medical Education initiative, which seeks to facilitate "innovative structural change that prompts a significant redesign of undergraduate medical education that can be duplicated across the country." Still, while medical educators tend to agree with the need for change in medical education, they acknowledge it won't happen overnight. Read More. (Texas Medicine, December 2013)

Executive Summary: 2013 Medical Education Consensus Statement

Texas medical schools, teaching hospitals, and the 47,000+ members of the Texas Medical Association agree:

Texas has a shortage of physicians.

The shortage will get worse.

Texans — whether in rural or urban areas — will be adversely affected, in varying degrees, by the shortage.

Having insurance coverage will not necessarily ensure access to a physician.